Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMPAA overestimates college downloading
Mistakes in investigation reveal lower number of pirated movies
By Dan Scorpio
Posted: 2/7/08, 11:55 PM EST Section: News
The main purpose of the report was to pressure college campuses to update their broadband networks and step up enforcement of anti-piracy policies, Worona said.
Soon that pressure will be coming from the U.S. Congress.
U.S. Representatives are currently debating H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007. The bill, sponsored by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., was introduced in Nov. 2007 and contains two sections directly relating to downloading on college campuses. The U.S. Senate is working on similar legislation.
If the bill is passed into law, campuses would need to make commercial alternatives to file sharing, such as Ruckus, available to students.
"This option is pretty much pointless," Worona said. "Students have shown that they will not flock to these programs because they are unattractive and do not offer very much."
Additionally, schools would need to upgrade broadband networks on campus and install more advanced technology blocks. Worona said this plan would disturb already existing networks and create more problems.
"These ideas are ineffective, counter-productive and they just don't work," he said. "The plan before Congress does not say where colleges and universities will find the money to pay for these wasteful overhauls, but it is implied the costs will come from students. We hope Congress changes the bill now that more accurate statistics have been released."
Paul Gandel, vice president of information technology and chief information officer at SU, agreed.
"What is clear to me is that it would increase the cost of higher education to all students on campuses affected by this legislation because it would increase operating costs," Gandel said.
Specific expenses for installing new programs will vary from campus to campus, and details for SU's plan are not yet known.
Gandel said he believes SU does a good job making students aware of the university's downloading policies.
"We absolutely do not allow illegal downloading, of music or movies, on our campus," Gandel said. "There are procedures in place, and we will enforce them if a situation arises."
SU's piracy policy adheres to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Once a violation is detected, it is the responsibility of SU to find the student, inform the student of the alleged action and direct the student to stop. If the student continues with the illegal activity, then the student may be fined accordingly.
While students have reduced illegal downloading on campus, it still does exist, Gandel said.
"We have received a few notifications of such activity this year," he said. "But it is not a large number, and not as large as it has been."
dpscorpi@syr.edu
Soon that pressure will be coming from the U.S. Congress.
U.S. Representatives are currently debating H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007. The bill, sponsored by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., was introduced in Nov. 2007 and contains two sections directly relating to downloading on college campuses. The U.S. Senate is working on similar legislation.
If the bill is passed into law, campuses would need to make commercial alternatives to file sharing, such as Ruckus, available to students.
"This option is pretty much pointless," Worona said. "Students have shown that they will not flock to these programs because they are unattractive and do not offer very much."
Additionally, schools would need to upgrade broadband networks on campus and install more advanced technology blocks. Worona said this plan would disturb already existing networks and create more problems.
"These ideas are ineffective, counter-productive and they just don't work," he said. "The plan before Congress does not say where colleges and universities will find the money to pay for these wasteful overhauls, but it is implied the costs will come from students. We hope Congress changes the bill now that more accurate statistics have been released."
Paul Gandel, vice president of information technology and chief information officer at SU, agreed.
"What is clear to me is that it would increase the cost of higher education to all students on campuses affected by this legislation because it would increase operating costs," Gandel said.
Specific expenses for installing new programs will vary from campus to campus, and details for SU's plan are not yet known.
Gandel said he believes SU does a good job making students aware of the university's downloading policies.
"We absolutely do not allow illegal downloading, of music or movies, on our campus," Gandel said. "There are procedures in place, and we will enforce them if a situation arises."
SU's piracy policy adheres to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Once a violation is detected, it is the responsibility of SU to find the student, inform the student of the alleged action and direct the student to stop. If the student continues with the illegal activity, then the student may be fined accordingly.
While students have reduced illegal downloading on campus, it still does exist, Gandel said.
"We have received a few notifications of such activity this year," he said. "But it is not a large number, and not as large as it has been."
dpscorpi@syr.edu
Be the first to comment on this story